Re: Introduction (Digital Physics)

From: Fred Chen <flipsu5.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 08:07:12 -0700

Bruno, Joel, et. al.,

I appreciate how something like the Universal Dovetailer or equivalent
programs can generate an infinite set of programs that could include the one
that describes our universe (including our consciousness). However, Godel's
theorem applied to this top-down approach would prevent us from being able
to recognize that program, or even knowing how to recognize that program.
The best we can do is continually narrow down the options, from an infinite
subset to a "smaller" infinite subset, as we add more parameters for
description.

To reconcile with anthropic fine-tuning without white rabbits, I had bought
into the postulate that we were in the simplest possible universe, in the
absence of knowing the exact criteria for developing self-aware
consciousness, but just assuming that some absolute criteria exist. But
this begs the questions, what are those criteria and why those criteria?
Without knowing these criteria, we cannot tell what is the simplest possible
universe containing consciousness.

Fred
Received on Mon Jul 02 2001 - 08:13:55 PDT